The phonematics and syllable structure of Sudanese Arabic

Abstract

This book proposes a functionalist analysis which is strikingly simpler than standard accounts. Consonants and vowels are integrated into a single phoneme system; consonantal [y] and vocalic [i], consonantal [w] and vocalic [u], and consonantal ['] and vocalic [a] are analysed as allophones of a single phoneme respectively. The putative phonemes 'ee' and 'oo' are analysed not as phonemes in their own right, but as realisations of / ai/ and / au/ phoneme sequences, differing from 'ay' and 'aw' in terms of their phonotactic structuring rather than the identity of the phonemes which make them up. The potential for zero distinctive features to further significantly simplify the analysis is explored, particularly in the light of Jakobson's (1957) account of North Palestinian Druze. The models hyperphoneme and archiphoneme are shown to provide elegant solutions to otherwise problematic areas of analysis.